Whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) is the world's most farmed crustacean, with growing evidence for pain-like states raising urgent welfare questions about intensive production and slaughter practices.
Shrimp welfare represents one of the largest unaddressed animal welfare challenges globally. If shrimp experience pain — which the best available evidence suggests is likely — then billions of individuals are suffering across the production cycle. Eyestalk ablation causes acute tissue damage and changes behaviour in ways consistent with pain. High-density intensive ponds cause chronic stress and immune suppression. Slaughter without stunning causes prolonged awareness during death. Given the scale of shrimp production, even modest welfare improvements per individual translate to enormous aggregate welfare benefit. The Shrimp Welfare Project and academic researchers are developing practical welfare improvement protocols.